Small Business Spotlight: Green Living Technologies
MACEDON, N.Y. (WHEC) — The beauty is breathtaking. It’s artistry through living walls.
A local company, Green Living Technologies, designs and manufactures green living roofs, living walls and vertical farming systems. They’re tapestries of plant life that are on display throughout the world.
“We now currently operate in 13 countries with over 1,300 representatives,” George Irwin, who started this company almost two decades ago said.
Their work can be seen from the Middle East to Miami, but Irwin told News10NBC, “we manufacture everything here in Rochester, New York.”
Green Living Technologies has about 25 employees and manufacture their multi-level systems at their factory in Macedon. The process uses precision laser machinery to first cut the stainless steel and aluminum. The units are then welded and assembled, so they’re water-tight.
Irwin says Green Living Technologies, “owns the patent on this particular application.”
It’s a process that is adaptable for any plant in any part of the world.
“What we have done here is we’ve created the ability to house these plants,” Irwin said. “Each row has its own drip line. So, the water that is introduced to this product is perfectly calculated. We have virtually zero wastewater.”
What customers get is a canvas covered in lush greenery. Irwin says one of his favorite projects was the intercontinental hotel in Santiago, Chile. They built an exterior living wall covering more than 17,000 square feet.
Locally, they’ve done projects for RIT and St. John Fisher College.
Recently, they were hired by the Minnesota Twins to install a living wall at Target Field to be the center field backdrop. Irwin was in Minneapolis last week as crews began assembling the wall, which will include over 3,000 one-gallon juniper plants.
With projects all over the world, Irwin sees lots of new applications for his products. Everything from indoor farming to growing medical marijuana in a clean room environment. For now, though, the living walls continue to be their most popular product.
News10NBC asked him, “When you drive around Rochester, do you see places where you think, our product would look great here?”
Irwin answered, “Absolutely. Everything’s a billboard. We’re artists. We create living art.”
Original Article: https://www.whec.com/news/small-business-spotlight-green-living-technologies/5227964/?cat=565
